Celebrate food, life and diversity. Join me in the search for the right ingredients: Food without human antibiotics, growth hormones and other harmful additives that have become commonplace in animals raised on factory farms.

Attention food shoppers

We are legions -- legions who are sorely neglected by the media, which prefer glorifying chefs. I love restaurants as much as anyone else, but feel that most are unresponsive to customers who want to know how the food they are eating was grown or raised.I hope my blog will be a valuable resource for helping you find the healthiest food in supermarkets, specialty stores and restaurants in northern New Jersey. In the past five years, I stopped eating meat, poultry, bread and pizza, and now focus on a heart-healthy diet of seafood, vegetables, fruit, whole-wheat pasta and brown rice. I'm happiest when I am eating. -- VICTOR E. SASSON

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Victoria Marinara, with only seven ingredients, knocks competitors

Two 40-ounce bottles of Victoria White Linen Marinara Sauce are $2.25 off through Oct. 25 at Costco Wholesale. Normally, they are two for $8.99.

Editor's note: Costco Wholesale is offering instant savings on marinara sauce, sardines and other items. At ShopRite supermarkets, grass-fed beef is on sale.

By VICTOR E. SASSONEDITOR"Ingredients come first," boasts Victoria Marinara, which lists them on the front label, unlike competitors.In a newspaper flier, Victoria Fine Foods compared the seven ingredients in its 24-ounce jar of Marinara sold in supermarkets to what goes into competing sauces from Bertolli, Classico, Emeril, Paul Newman's Own, Prego, Francisco Rinaldi, Ragu and Barilla.Victoria's front label also says, "No preservatives, no water, no paste."Most of the other sauces listed by Victoria don't use olive oil, and contain added sugar, tomato puree or paste and citric acid.

Also, Skinless & Boneless Season Sardines in Pure Olive Oil ($3 off six cans), and Vita Coco Coconut Water ($3.50 off a dozen 11-ounce containers).

At the Hackensack Costco, members get $2.30 off a 2-pound package of Jarlsberg Lite Reduced Fat Swiss Cheese, normally $8.99. The sliced cheese is ideal for sandwiches, omelets or for eating out of hand as a snack with smoked wild salmon, also from Costco.

Grass-fed Whole Beef Tenderloin for Filet Mignon from Australia is on sale at ShopRite in Rochelle Park for $5.99 a pound, above and below. The discount is given when you check out.

Grass-fed beef on sale

Australian beef is on sale for $5.99 a pound at ShopRite supermarkets.

We trim and thinly slice this grass-fed beef, then add a little Korean-style marinade.

The whole beef tenderloin also can be cut into individual filet mignons.

The same cut of grain-fed domestic beef, Whole Trimmed Tenderloin for Filet Mignon, is on sale for $8.99 a pound at the Rochelle Park ShopRite, above and below.